GDB 27.0: Streaking Stars (6:30 pm MST, SNW)

The sports saying, “You are only as good as your best players,” is usually quite accurate. In hockey you have best players at various positions, and when your best forwards, defenceman and goalie are playing well, your chances of winning increase significantly.

The Oilers are 4-1-1 in the last six games and are in the midst of their second hot-streak of the young season. It has been a streaky start for the Oilers. They began the year 0-2, then went 8-2-1, before struggling through a 1-6 stretch, and now they are rolling again at 4-1-1.

Their best players have led the way during their recent surge.

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Connor McDavid has scored 2-5-7, Leon Draisaitl added 1-5-6, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins produced 2-3-5 and Oscar Klefbom has 2-4-6, while Mikko Koskinen is 4-0-1 with a .944sv% and 1.58 GAA. Alec Chiasson continues to produce with three goals during this stretch while Drake Caggiula, Jesse Puljujarvi and Ryan Spooner each have a goal. The Oilers best players are leading the way, which is usually how it works for playoff teams. But it can’t just be a few of your best players. If your goaltender is playing great, but your scorers aren’t producing, it is difficult to win.

Right now Edmonton is getting great performances from a player in all three units and they are winning.

You need timely scoring from your complementary players, or solid defending, and lately, that has helped. Spooner scoring the game winner late in the third period v. Vegas was huge. Caggiula and Puljujarvi combining for an early goal against LA helped as well. The third pairing of Matt Benning and Kevin Gravel has settled down and they have been on for more GF than GA during this six game stretch.

The Oilers aren’t producing a lot of offence, but they aren’t giving up much either. They have scored 13 goals and allowed 13 during the six games, with two of those goals coming via empty net in the loss to Los Angeles. Their special teams have been excellent with a 28.6% PP and the PK clicking at 83.3%.

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Ken Hitchcock hasn’t changed the Oilers defensive system or structure very much, if any, but the players are playing with more vigour and they have eliminated the glaring errors.

Their resurgence was much needed, because many of their Pacific Division opponents are also playing well. Anaheim is 6-1, Calgary is 5-1-1 while Vegas as 5-2 since November 19th. The Oilers hot streak has allowed them to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.

A victory tonight would move them within one point of Dallas and San Jose with games in hand on Anaheim. It is only game 27, but the race for the playoffs is on and the Oilers, thankfully for Oilersnation, are in the mix.

If their best players from each unit continue to play well they have as good a chance as Anaheim, Dallas, Minnesota and Vegas to make the playoffs.

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LINEUP…

Spooner finally got some offensive confidence, but he will sit out tonight with an injury. It has been that type of season for him. I’d keep running with Koskinen. He is simply playing better than Cam Talbot right now and the Oilers need wins. Unless he has a really off night, I’d strongly consider starting him for the next five games and then when the Oilers play Winnipeg and Philadelphia back-to-back on December 13th and 14th I’d play Talbot in one of those games.

The Stars got Ben Bishop back against Vancouver and he was stellar, allowing only one goal, but it sounds like they will be careful and not have him start consecutively just yet. They’ve also moved Radulov off the top line to try and get more offence. Their blueline is still missing three key defenders, but the Stars have managed to play well despite key injuries.

Comeau will miss his first game all season for the birth of his child, which is a pretty understandable reason to miss a game. This season, Comeau has provided some impressive penalty killing, but hopefully the Stars will play a more disciplined game tonight so it isn’t such an issue with him out.

On the good news front for the Stars, Martin Hanzal is looking like he may finally make his season debut this week. He was shut down last season due to back injuries and eventually had surgery on his spine, which he’s been recovering from for the first part of the season. There’s certainly going to be a question of where he slots into the line-up when he returns, but it’s always nice to have more options for Jim Montgomery to work with.

TONIGHT…

Photoshop: Tom Kostiuk

GAME DAY PREDICTION: I see another low scoring affair. Oilers sneak out a 3-2 OT victory.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Jamie Benn scores his 19th career goal v. the Oilers. That is the most he’s had against any team in his career.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: The Oilers win over 50% of the faceoffs. During this six game run the Oilers are a combined 44.9% in the faceoff dot. Their centremen have an unexpected solid night in the dot.

MONTH OF GIVING

Our 8th annual Month of Giving begins today. Every weekday from today through to Friday, December 21st, we will be auctioning off a package on my TSN 1260 radio show with all the proceeds going to various charities including Santas Anonymous, Operation Friendship Senior Society, The Christmas Bureau, JCI Holiday Hamper Program and a few others.
We will have a new package every day, and packages will include tickets to sporting events, signed jerseys, golf packages, a furnace or AC unit, training sessions for you or your kids, dinners with Oilers and Eskimos and much more.

105 Comments |

Game day obvious prediction
media and ON oilers “fans”
Will still cry foul on Peter still having
job ,how he traded for Griffin
and other crap and forget we are4-1-1
play off spot is right there .
and call for his head again and again
and Griffin Rienhart was the asset
we lost to Vegas so it was a good
move … deffenitly not worth of crying
about for two years …plus
quit crying you losers
the rest of you. Enjoy some positive
Oiler news.

Next six games are against top teams in the west, with exception of St. Louis, and even they could kill the Oilers season.
So this is a make or break week for the team, the system, and Chia’s career in town.
That being said let me turn to the great Richard Thompson, “I feel so good”:

I feel so good I’m going to break somebody’s heart tonight
I feel so good I’m going to take someone apart tonight
They put me in jail for my deviant ways
Two years, seven months and sixteen days
But I’ve got a suitcase full of Fifty-pound notes
And a half-naked woman with her tongue down my throat
And I feel so good I feel so good

The amount you score is related the the amount of risk you take and you base the amount of risk you take on the score of the game. So its natural that a team that allows 4 goals is going to take more risk and therefore score more than a team that allows only 1-2 goals a game.

Alf… bit late here not sure you read this: I have the same issue with Rogers cable/internet. I talked to Rogers:
1.its not their survey…posing as Rogers/Shaw
2. The gift isn’t free.. theres a fee… they want your credit card num,bers.. Its a scam.

3.This pop-up only shows up on Oiler Nation.Its called Exclusiverewards.

Gotta say Koskinen has really impressed me with his play, cause man I will tell you the Preseason play had me really concerned, byut since then the man has looked solid, very calm. With all the games we have in a short span here coming up I dont know if you can run Koskinen constantly, but I say give him the tougher games and give Talbot the weaker ones, for a break. I would like to see Talbot bounce back, the Oilers need a strong one two punch in net.

With that said I dont see Talbot staying in Edm if he isnt the number one guy

Kostko’s positioning is good and he’s big and it helps. He’s got long legs and is effective at laying them down across the crease. He is still calibrating with the catcher, but it’s really big when he fans it out and it’s getting it done.
Run with him

He makes everything happen. This is so boring to watch without him. We have like 0 threats. 8.5 mill Drai has been a passenger since Hitch took over. Luc has actually looked better and faster than Drai over the last two weeks. Thats saying a lot considering who Drai and Luc play with.